So yesterday(or the day before?) I bought 6 Rip-Its, stayed up all night drinking them till my pee turned green, and beat NOLF1. Here's my final thoughts....

The good:

The Music! I admit I didn't like it at first but the music grew on me really fast. By the time I beat the first Chapter, I was already diggin' it.

The Gadgets! I didn't get a chance to try them all, but my Favs are the belt buckle and the coin.

The Weapons! Hampton Carbine FTW! Honorable mentions: SVD; usually when I grab this gun in other games the firing sound is closer to a pop than bang - in this game it sounds like it should - powerful! Harpoon gun; take that shark week!

The Baddies! The AI is actually decent and can really mess you up quick if you alert a mob. Also, they always have something interesting to talk about, hehe.

The Levels! I like how there's a lot of one-off missions; whether it's providing overwatch for a hapless beaucrate, searching a sunken ship, infiltrating a spacestation or chasing a gun-thieving monkey, there's always something different!

The Story! Even if the ending was a little predictable, and a bit confusing (for me) I thougrhly enjoyed the overall storyline. Also, I really liked how you choose Cate's responses in certain scenes; I just wish your choices had a larger impact on the direction the story takes.

The Bad:

Armstrong! Going toe-to-toe with this guy felt sooo unfair. I think I reloaded at least a dozen times. I actually 'beat him' on my third attempt but as the post-fight cut-scene starts I hear Cate's death scream and about 3 seconds into it the game loaded the Mission Failed screen!

No leaning! The lack of a lean feature really upsets me....

Limited Inventory! I know you find a lot of gadgets laying around in the missions but only being able to choose 4 or 5 at the start of a mission sucks; especially considering some missions require you to take 1 or 2 crucial items. Wish there was a sidepack or something...

Well that's all I can think of atm! All-in-All I give this game a 10 outta 10!

Has anyone else beaten this recently?(or not-so-recently?) What did you think?

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I have not beaten the game recently, but I vividly recall my first 3 times I've beaten the game, within the same year after I had bought it off of Amazon, in 2011. My version is the GOTY version, so I have the 'extra' levels where Cate Archer is on 'holiday' ('vacation') in a tropical resort. I thought this game was pretty remarkable for the time when it was first introduced....... and I was thinking this in 2011.... by then, it was TEN YEARS after the game came out! It also felt grossly underrated.... or at least, it deserved FAR more recognition than it actually had. That is: if I were to mention or even ask about this game to just about any other gamer (in 2011), 9 times out of 10, nobody would really be able to know what game I'm talking about! (That is very sad.)

Still, while the graphics certainly don't hold up, certainly in 2018 (as I write this comment/reply/thread), there are unique aspects of this game that have made it timeless in my eyes. The mostly feminist/progressive stance/viewpoint it took, especially at a time when (really) the only other competitor was 'Tomb Raider'. The sense of HUMOR it had - where as so many of today's games totally lack it. Maybe I've been living under a rock (or just way too busy with other stuff in my life to keep up), but I don't know of many other games that offer such a unique and immersive setting: 1960's, cold war, campy spy theme. Certainly there are other stand-out qualities of this game for me that I could type at length about, but I'll spare you all from too long of a read! lol.

By the time I had worked my way backwards from NOLF 2 (which I bought, "new" in 2003/2004), and completed NOLF1, I thought that they (Monolith) could TOTALLY fit in AT LEAST ONE MORE game starring Cate Archer, set in ANY year from 1969 to even 1980 (as the Cold War was drawing to a close). I'm not counting Contract J.A.C.K. as I consider that title blasphemous to the franchise (seriously). I mean, even if not a 3rd sequel starring Cate Archer, I would've appreciated (and WOULD HAVE PAID FOR) even just a 'graphical REBOOT' (essentially a remake) of the first two games. As for a modern build that could be legally purchased and downloaded online....... man..... it's even an embarrassing shame that we can't even get that either!

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I have not beaten the game recently, but I vividly recall my first 3 times I've beaten the game, within the same year after I had bought it off of Amazon, in 2011. My version is the GOTY version, so I have the 'extra' levels where Cate Archer is on 'holiday' ('vacation') in a tropical resort. I thought this game was pretty remarkable for the time when it was first introduced....... and I was thinking this in 2011.... by then, it was TEN YEARS after the game came out! It also felt grossly underrated.... or at least, it deserved FAR more recognition than it actually had. That is: if I were to mention or even ask about this game to just about any other gamer (in 2011), 9 times out of 10, nobody would really be able to know what game I'm talking about! (That is very sad.)

Still, while the graphics certainly don't hold up, certainly in 2018 (as I write this comment/reply/thread), there are unique aspects of this game that have made it timeless in my eyes. The mostly feminist/progressive stance/viewpoint it took, especially at a time when (really) the only other competitor was 'Tomb Raider'. The sense of HUMOR it had - where as so many of today's games totally lack it. Maybe I've been living under a rock (or just way too busy with other stuff in my life to keep up), but I don't know of many other games that offer such a unique and immersive setting: 1960's, cold war, campy spy theme. Certainly there are other stand-out qualities of this game for me that I could type at length about, but I'll spare you all from too long of a read! lol.

By the time I had worked my way backwards from NOLF 2 (which I bought, "new" in 2003/2004), and completed NOLF1, I thought that they (Monolith) could TOTALLY fit in AT LEAST ONE MORE game starring Cate Archer, set in ANY year from 1969 to even 1980 (as the Cold War was drawing to a close). I'm not counting Contract J.A.C.K. as I consider that title blasphemous to the franchise (seriously). I mean, even if not a 3rd sequel starring Cate Archer, I would've appreciated (and WOULD HAVE PAID FOR) even just a 'graphical REBOOT' (essentially a remake) of the first two games. As for a modern build that could be legally purchased and downloaded online....... man..... it's even an embarrassing shame that we can't even get that either!

NOLF series were officially dead. Even remastering attempt was failed. There is no hope for our beautiful protagonist.

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What I thought was "bad" was how the game handled some of the plot twists. They weren't explained very well and seemed a little too implausible.

Spoilers ahead:

-Bruno "disappearing for awhile": Volkov shoots Bruno (or at least appears to shoot him) in Mistfortune in Morocco, who then appears to die. It was explained at the end of the game that it was part of the plan for Bruno to "disappear for awhile" in order to help uncover the traitor within UNITY. But how did Bruno get this to work out so well? How did he know that he'd survive? Or did he not know and was just taking a huge gamble on the first chance that he had to disappear? Either way this seems a little too implausible. Also, the game either doesn't do a good job of portraying him dead, or suggests that he's still alive at best. His eyes still blink, and if you shoot him at this point you will fail the mission for "desecrating his corpse".

-Volkov "killing" Tom: At the end of the game we find out that Tom is one of the traitors, but before that, at the end of the Safecracker mission, Tom appears to be a hostage to Volkov. Volkov tells Cate to drop her gun, but before she can Tom tries to knock Volkov over, so Volkov shoots Tom (or at least appears to shoot him), who then appears to die. This was done to demoralize Cate, and perhaps if they were lucky apprehend or kill her right then and there. But that leads to my question: Instead of Tom trying to knock Volkov over, why didn't Tom and Volkov try to take Cate by surprise and just shoot her right then and there? Volkov had a gun, and Tom could have hid a gun to pull out or have tried to rush Cate instead. They would have had the upper hand with the element of surprise and the numbers.

-Smith killing Tom: Also at the end of the game, we find out that Smith is the other, main traitor. After Cate beats Tom and has him at gunpoint in the graveyard fight, Smith arrives, shoots and kills Tom. He then tries to shoot Cate, but Mr. Jones arrives and shoots him just in time. So perhaps my biggest question is this: Since both Smith and Tom were traitors working together, why on earth would Smith shoot Tom, and especially before shooting Cate? I get that he may have been upset with Tom for screwing up or perhaps just didn't have any more use for him and wanted to kill him off, but shouldn't Cate have been a higher priority for him to shoot first? Especially because Cate didn't even know he was there until he shot Tom.

Of course you could say these are plot holes or plot induced stupidity for the sake of presenting an interesting, plot twisting story to the player, but it hurts the believability of the story. A story can avoid such things and still be good by either explaining the plot twists better or making them more plausible.

-The Armstrong fight may seem tough, but there are some tricks and ways to make it easier. First, this fight is much easier on lower difficulties not just because he'll do less damage, but because he'll have less health too. Armstrong is actually the only one whose health is affected by the difficulty chosen. Also, while he's close enough to you he won't try to throw explosives, so if you can jump on top of something like a bed, wooden board or even his head (possible while he slams the floor or by jumping off something else) and stay close enough to him, he will keep trying to punch you but will keep missing. Meanwhile you can keep hitting him until he's beaten. There's also the simple technique of hitting him once or twice, then backing away and waiting for him to try to punch you, and then moving in to hit him once or twice again and repeat. If he's about to slam the floor then jump, and if he's about to throw explosives then run to minimize the damage you take. That's probably the real way to do it.

-While the lack of leaning is disappointing to some people, you can generally step out for a moment to see around corners, and then duck back quickly without getting spotted. However the closer you are to an enemy, the less time you have to duck back before being spotted. You also have less time if the enemy is alert and looking for you. This is close to the same result as you'd get from leaning, though maybe with leaning you'd be able to peak longer. A neat trick in this game though is that if you duck back right before being spotted, the guard will think he saw something but won't be sure what, will get alert/suspicious and will probably come to investigate. Like the coin, this is useful for luring guards out of position. Once they turn around and especially if they start to head back, you can easily dispatch them with a gun or karate chop. The sequel, No One Lives Forever 2, has leaning.

-The limited inventory for gadgets is a little annoying, but you can learn to live with it. For starters, you're required to take any gadget that you absolutely need for a certain mission that you won't otherwise be able to find along the way, so feel free to fill the remaining slots with whatever you want. Remember that you can, and are actually encouraged, to replay missions after you've gotten all the gadgets. You may need to replay a mission with a gadget that you didn't have at the time in order to reach secret areas and items. Likewise if you know that certain gadgets are useless in certain missions, or that you can find them later on certain missions, then don't take them on those missions. Second, you can do without many of the gadgets:

*The robot poodle is only useful in 2 mission areas in the entire game, and there are other ways to deal with dogs. Avoid or ignore them and kill any guards in the area first, before shooting the dogs. You could shoot the dogs first, but nearby guards may be alerted to your presence due to the sound of the bullet going through the bars/fence of the dog cage. All the dogs do is bark; they are harmless without nearby guards.

*Body Remover is obviously useless if you play with fade bodies on, but aside from that it's really only useful for getting rid of bodies in a camera's or searchlight's field of vision, and only if the alarm hasn't been sounded yet. Even then, you'd have to be fast enough before it gets spotted, and without getting spotted yourself. Instead there are several other options: You may be able to wait for the guard to leave the view of the camera or searchlight before killing him, lure him away by throwing a coin, letting him see you or even shooting your gun, not kill him at all and just sneak by him, or even just kill him and let the alarm sound since it's still possible to fight your way through the level (as long as you won't fail the mission for sounding the alarm). Now you may be thinking that it could be useful for preventing guards from discovering dead bodies, but let me tell you it's usually not a big deal if a guard spots a dead body. They will usually run over to check it out, and then start looking around for you. During that time you can shoot and kill them. In a few missions where you fail if the alarm sounds however, guards will try to sound the alarm as soon as they spot a dead body. In those missions you definitely want to kill all the guards in an area before moving on.

*The Barrette is useful for quietly picking locks, but remember that you can also shoot locks off if you need to. This will cause a commotion for any nearby guards of course, but as long as you can deal with them you don't really need the Barrette. Also many locks, such as those on fences, can be jumped on top of and over without having to even pick or shoot the lock. Sometimes there is another way to go to get behind the lock as well. As for the Barrette's Poison Capsule function, that is pretty useless considering that you have guns and a karate chop. The only real bit of extra functionality it provides is being like a karate chop that is able to hit guards anywhere and after they have spotted you (since the karate chop only works on the backs on enemies' heads and who haven't spotted you). But in that case it's not a one hit kill and you might as well use a gun instead.

*Sleep/Stun/Poison Gas: The main use for Sleep and Stun Gas is on that mission where you can't kill anyone, but of course you can still complete it without them. I don't recommend the Stun Gas because it doesn't knock enemies down, meaning they'll still be in your way (and also in the way of other enemies who otherwise might have wandered into it). Also after it wears off, they will know where you are and chase you unlike with the Sleep Gas. While the Stun Gas is safer to wander into than the Sleep Gas, you won't be able to see anything for a little while. Aside from on that mission, the Poison Gas is better since it can kill groups of enemies quickly and silently, but you'll lose health quickly if you wander into it. Like the other gases it has a limited range and number of charges too, so it may not be worth having it take up an inventory slot when you have guns and explosives that can get the job done instead.

*The Camera Disabler might seem enticing, but it's not that useful in practice (maybe a little more useful on missions where you fail if the alarm goes off, but still). First, you need to be able to reach the camera, and if you need to jump to do so then you'll have to time your jump due to the lengthy animation when using this gadget. Second, you need to reach the camera without it spotting you or any dead guards in its field of vision. Third, you only get 5 of them for the whole mission and most missions with cameras have more than that. Fourth, if the alarm is going off, goes off later or you deactivate it on missions where that's possible, then this gadget becomes useless. Finally, it doesn't work on searchlights. Again even if the alarm goes off, it's still possible to fight your way through the level (as long as you won't fail the mission for sounding the alarm). The Camera Disabler is much more useful in the sequel, No One Lives Forever 2, since it's shot out of a utility gun instead, you can find more ammo for it, and because alarms will reset and be able to get set off again, bringing more enemies each time.

Thanks for the tips CoLdOwN. I've been screwing around with FEAR a lot lately and all of a sudden I've got an urge to play through NOLF again so I'm sure they'll come in handy, :)

I don't really care for NOLF 2 though. I tried it around the time I wrote that first post. I got just past the part where you encounter the tornado in the little town before I lost interest. I think was already forcing myself to play it at that point.

Something about the second game just feels different to me. It doesn't really have the same atmosphere or charm that made me fall in love with the first game.

Also, the addition of a lean feature may be nice, but the respawning enemies ruin the stealth aspect of the gameplay. I know there's a mod for that, I used it, but there's no mod to bring back the charm from the original.

That's just my opinion of course, and after I replay NOLF again I plan to dive right in to the sequel and, hopefully, finish it this time.

Thanks for the tips CoLdOwN. I've been screwing around with FEAR a lot lately and all of a sudden I've got an urge to play through NOLF again so I'm sure they'll come in handy,

I don't really care for NOLF 2 though. I tried it around the time I wrote that first post. I got just past the part where you encounter the tornado in the little town before I lost interest. I think was already forcing myself to play it at that point.

Something about the second game just feels different to me. It doesn't really have the same atmosphere or charm that made me fall in love with the first game.

Also, the addition of a lean feature may be nice, but the respawning enemies ruin the stealth aspect of the gameplay. I know there's a mod for that, I used it, but there's no mod to bring back the charm from the original.

That's just my opinion of course, and after I replay NOLF again I plan to dive right in to the sequel and, hopefully, finish it this time.

You're welcome. Actually thanks too, because your topic kind of gave me an excuse to ramble on about some of the things I've discovered from playing this game so much. I have to agree that NOLF 1 definitely feels more charming, memorable and fun. There's a lot of ways in which NOLF 1 is superior. NOLF 2 doesn't have training missions, or as many mission briefing scenes, less dialogue options, and a less complex soundtrack that feels more generic for the country or location that you're in. It doesn't have as many cool gadgets, and you can't customize your gear at the start of a mission. You can't jump as high or run as fast, and you move even slower when you get hit. It also takes time to search things like file cabinets or bodies, unlike in NOLF 1 where everything is an instant pick up. It also takes longer to defuse bombs, pick or weld through locks, and it has to be done uninterrupted. Although they added the skill system and skill points to collect, it's not possible to max everything so you have to make decisions on what to spend the points on, and your skills start out bad. All of that makes it less fun. In NOLF 1 most stuff effectively starts maxed but there is a skill increase system, mainly for armor and ammo capacity, although to get an increase you usually have to collect every intelligence item in a mission.

NOLF 1 also feels more relaxed and funny. NOLF 2 feels like it deviates away from that and is more serious, even though there is still bits of humor here and there. Maybe in part because the guards were more stupid in NOLF 1 and there was funnier and more memorable conversations and sounds. Also maybe because the 60's groovy atmosphere was more represented in NOLF 1. NOLF 2 also had more generic levels, I mean Siberia was a long mission over 3 chapters. It had mostly the same aesthetics throughout, and later there's an Antarctica chapter that uses the exact same aesthetics. Also you visit that same town square in India on 3 different occasions/chapters. The first chapter of the underwater base level felt bland and too long, but the 2nd chapter was better. If you add all that up, that's already 9 out of the 15 chapters in the game, and some chapters only contain a single level (including some what aren't mentioned here). So you can see how a lot of the game can feel bland and repetitive.

As for enemies respawning in NOLF 2, that can be annoying but it doesn't happen for every level. Mainly Siberia and the underwater base, but yes those are long missions. Of course also if you sound an alarm, but if you're playing stealthily then you try to avoid that, and you can still try to hide even if it goes off. There's also boss fights/areas leading to boss fights with respawning enemies, but in those cases the focus is on fighting. Even NOLF 1 has a boss with respawning enemies, although you can get them to stop if you kill enough.

Here are some ways to deal with respawning guards:

-The dead bodies method: Dead bodies are actually your friends for this. Once guards start respawning, kill a guard near the spawn point and leave the body there, or bring a dead body there. Then go back to whatever you were doing. When the next one spawns, they will notice the body and you will hear the music change, also possibly the guard crying out if you are close enough. Once you do, go back and kill that guard, leave the body there and go back to whatever you were doing again. Rinse and repeat. Annoying maybe, but effective.

-The trap method: You can put a bear trap or banana near the spawn point where you know they will step (like in or near a doorway). Then they will get trapped, giving you time to go back and kill them while they are immobilized. You can also use an angry kitty if you have one, which will kill them instantly. Of course, you only have so many traps to use so this method alone might not give you enough time to do everything you want to do.

-The ignore method: Just ignore the spawn point and try to go about your business, keeping your eyes peeled for new guards to shoot (or avoid). With this method it still helps to leave dead bodies where they are or put them out in the open, to serve as alerts for when new guards come around. You could also try to get a feel for how often the guards respawn, so that either you know when to expect them or so you can go back to kill them when they respawn.